Apparatus for draft beer or ale.



No. 682,766. Patented Sept. l7, l90 l.

H. STRATEB. v APPARATUS FOR DRAFT BEER 0R ALE.

(Application flied Kay 81. 1900.)

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UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

HERMAN sraArna, or BOSTON,MASSACHUSETTS.

APPARATUS FOR DRAFT BEER OR ALE.

srncrrroa'rrolv forming part of Letters Patent No. 682,766, dated September 17, 1901.

Application filed May 31, 1900.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERMAN STRATER, a citizen of the United States, residing at'Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for Draft Beer or Ale, of which the following description, in connection with the of air or at the same time.

accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing like parts.

In bar-rooms, restaurants,and other places where beer or ale is kept on draft the latter in a barrel or keg is mounted within an icebox or cooler and connected with a deliveryfaucet which is tightly fitted in the Wall of the box. Means are provided for furnishing a supply of air or gas under pressure to the receptacles when necessary to liven up the beer or ale therein, and it has been the custom to so arrange the controlling-cocks that in order to admit or shut off air or gas the attendant has to open the door of the ice-box, thus letting in warm air and lowering the temperature'of the interior. With a large ice-box containing several barrels of beer or ale this is a very serious objectiomas no two barrels are apt to require the same amount Hence the box must be opened frequently to effect the necessary manipulation of the air-cocks. In my present invention I have provided means whereby the air-cocks are accessible from the exterior of the ice-box, so that the attendant has full control of the air under pressure without opening the box,'and consequently its full refrigerating action is preserved.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View of a portion of an ice-box or cooler for beer or ale on draft with my invention applied thereto; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail, partly in section, of one of the controlling-cocks and its actuator.

I have shown in Fig. lan ice-box or cooler A, having upper and lower compartments A A to receive the barrels B B containing beer, ale, or the like," supported in any suitable manner, as on trucks T, each barrel hav- 'ing a delivery-faucet. f extended tightly through the front wall A of the ice-box. Air or carbonic=acid gas under pressure is led Serial No. 18,566. (No model) in from any suitable source of supply by a main supply-pipe a shown as branched at a a to lead to the two compartments, and said branches are connected, usually by hosepipeb W, with the barrels. A controlling device is interposed between the branches and the hose connected therewith, said device serving also as acoupling, as herein shown, and as the two controlling devices illustrated in Fig. 1 are the same in construction only one will be described in detail.

Referring now also to Fig. 2, a tubular Valve-case c is provided with a seat c for a valve 0 of the plug type, having a port 0 and interposed between the passages c 0 which serve as inlet and outlet for the fluid. The ends of the case 0 are threaded, and one end is connected by a coupling 2 with the branch a or a as the case may be, the branches being shown in Fig. 1 as running vertically parallel to the front wall A of the ice-box, or the coupling 2 may connect the case and hose-pipe, as in the upper compartment A, Fig. 1. The other end is connected by a coupling 3 with the hose or flexible pipe leading to the barrel, said coupling having a laterally-extended stem 4, provided with a base 5, forming a supporting-bracket, which is secured by screws or other suitable fasten ings 6 to the inner face of the front wall.

This serves to firmly support the valve-case and valve and is permanently secured in place.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the valve a pro jects beyond the case at c and has a preferably" enough to.snugly receive the stem is bored in the wallet the ice-box and the stem is passed therethrough and then connected with the valve, the outer end of the stem projecting beyond the wall,- having a suitable handle 0 thereon. A thick metal washer w, surrounding the stem, is secured to the outer face of A hole just large the Wall, as by screws 10, Fig. 1, and serves as a bearing for the stem and also adds to the finish, a hub w on the inner face of the washer being forced into the end of the hole in the box-wall.

It will be obvious from an inspection of Fig. 1 that the air-cock or controlling-valve for each receptacle Within the ice-box is operable from the exterior thereof to govern the airsupply to said receptacle Without necessitating opening of the box, and each actuatinghandle 0 is arranged conveniently relative to the delivery-faucet of its corresponding barrel. By turning any particular handle more or less the attendant can regulate the air or gas in a barrel at will and with great precision, admitting more or less, as may be necessary, in a very rapid and efticient manner Without disturbing the temperature Within the ice-box.

My invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement herein shown, as the same may be modified in various particulars Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having described my invention, What 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An air or gas supply controlling device for ice-boxes, comprising a pipe, flexible connections secured to said pipe adapted to connect the same with receptacles forbeerorale within the ice-box, said pipe being provided adjacent said flexible connections with a coupling, said coupling having at one end a passage for the flow therethrough of the liquid, and at its other end provided with attaching means for rigidly securing the pipe in permanent position, a connection from said pipe to a source of air or gas supply, and a valve in said pipe for each flexible connection, said valve having a valve-stem adapted to extend through the ice-box for external operation, said stern being secured detachably to the valve.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HERMAN STR ATER.

Witnesses:

J OHN C. EDWARDS, AUGUSTA E. DEAN. 

